Tonight is Halloween. So, this is the night that (in our house at least) we ignore knocks and rings at the front door and pretend we’re not home.
We don’t want to encourage kids to ‘demand lollies with menaces’ which seems to be the American version of Halloween. And it is the American version that has been imported into Australia in recent years—mainly (I would cynically suggest) by retailers as a marketing opportunity. Mind you, schools also seem to encourage kids to get into spooky stuff for Halloween. That might be because Halloween is the only date on the Christian calendar they feel safe to celebrate (Christmas and Easter having been banned from schools by the cancel culture brigade).
But tonight’s the night, so here (courtesy of Dictionary.com) are seven spooky words for Halloween:
Nyctophobia—fear of the dark. The great Alfred Hitchcock (who frightened us with his suspenseful movies) once said all humans have three in-born natural fears: fear of the dark, fear of falling and fear of sudden loud noises. Observing our little grandsons that seems pretty right.
Sepulchral—anything to do with burial. This comes from the word ‘sepulchre’ meaning a tomb or crypt for the dead. Hence those Halloween decorations that include skeletons and spooky headstones. Although, why we should frighten small children with images of death I do not understand.
Berserk—going wildly crazy. A word that comes to us from the Vikings, who were notorious for going murderously berserk when they raided a sleeping village.
Thanatopsis—‘thinking about death’ (from the ancient Greek word for ‘death’). Which seems to be the main theme of Halloween. For any small child who’s had a beloved pet (or an even more beloved grandparent) die I can’t see how they can be helped by Halloween’s weird focus on death.
Perdition—final condemnation. A bigger word just meaning ‘hell’ (hence the demons with pitchforks at Halloween).
Trepidation—feeling fear, getting goosebumps.
Lycanthrope—a fancy word for a werewolf (from the ancient Greek word for wolf man).
There are your seven Halloween words. Will you (like me) spend the night hiding inside, well away from predatory children?
A brand-new episode of the podcast 'Words with Kel Richards' is now available. To listen to it, scroll further down this page -- or go to wherever you usually get your podcasts.
FOR A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO THE DAILY NEWSLETTER SCOLL FURTHER DOWN THIS PAGE >>>>>>
BOOKS:
* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
hing story of the convict fraudster who wrote Australia's first dictionary by Kel Richards | 9781460759769 | Booktopia
* You can find all Kel's books currently in print here -- Booktopia Search Results for 'kel richards'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.
* And also here -- Amazon.com.au : Kel Richards
* And you'll find more here -- Search: 4 results found for "Kel Richards" – matthiasmedia.com.au
* Many of Kel's out of print books can be found at ABE Books -- Kel Richards - AbeBooks explaining words explain the term
BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.
